Why Bike to Work?

Biking is…

Energy and Time Efficient:

1. Time is money, and when you ride to work, you are saving both!
2. According to Scientific American, the bicycle is the most efficient way of moving through space. It uses three to five times less energy than walking, and the energy it does use is human power -- completely renewable.
3. For commuting distances that are less than three miles, commuting by bike usually takes less time, door to door, than driving or public transit.
4. Using human power also means increasing efficiency at work: Physically fit employees who don't spend time caught in traffic are more alert, ready to start work in the morning and tend to suffer less illness and fewer job-related injuries.
5. Biking to a commuter rail or subway station is also an effective use of bike commuting. 

Economical:

1. The bicycle is the most economical vehicle. A person who commutes by bike eliminates gasoline, parking and car insurance costs.
2. Many persons commuting by bike significantly reduce public expenditures on gasoline subsidies, road maintenance, parking lot construction/maintenance, insurance claims, and health care for accident victims.
3. Employees commuting by bike avoid the time and expense of auto maintenance and repair.

Physically Beneficial:

1. Bicycling is one of the best ways to improve physical fitness, and is much less stressful on knees and feet than jogging.
2. It can contribute to stress reduction and create a more positive mental attitude.
3. Studies have shown that older people can improve lung capacity as much as 76% through cycling and other aerobic training.
4. What better way to wind down at the end of a stressful day -- you'll recharge your batteries for tomorrow!

Good For the Environment: Motor vehicles create more air pollution than ANY other human activity - 70% of the carbon monoxide, 40% of nitrogen oxides, and 30% of VOC's according to the Massachusetts DEP. Every day that you ride to work you save the atmosphere from the carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and particulates that you would have emitted with a car. Bikes waste far fewer materials than cars. It has been estimated that each year over 2 million automobile tires are discarded into our landfills. One hundred bicycles can be built with the resources needed to build one automobile.

Builds Community:

1. When you're not surrounded by a ton of metal and glass, it's a lot easier to relate to your environment and with the people in it.
2. While on a bike, you can actually talk to or wave to your fellow bike commuters, and with a bike it's much easier to stop, park, and chat or do errands than with a cumbersome car.
3. Bicycles are great for neighborhood and business development because they are far more flexible and maneuverable than cars. Bikes do not pose nearly as big a hazard to pedestrians as cars do.